Method and means for testing wells



XP TQE A. C. FRITSCHE 0a. L 19m METHOD mn mms Fon TESTING WELLS Filed Jan. 29. 1937 ral-ww Patented ME'rnon mamans Foa 'ras'rmo WELLS. f

Alben c. Friesche Los Angeles. caux., assign or 1 one-half to George L. Batcliil'e,. LosAngeles,

"Mmmm um? 29. 1937-, sensi'No. 122,990 i e V" (Ginosa-#12)- 73 -ffS/f 11 Claims.

This yinvention pertains tov a method and aiv paratus for testing wells, particularly deep. drilled vwells such as oil wells.

-In the drilling of such a well itv happens occasionally `that strata are passed through which.

` contain faults or fissures. In such cases it sometimes happens that thedrilling fluid or mud escapes from the hole by the way of such faults.

As the drilling uid is often expensive it is im' portant to provide means for preventing. such. escape of the fluid Various operations vsuch as cementing may be resorted to in orderA to seal` up such openings. Before sealing operations may be carried out it is important to be able to determine with accuracy the depth at which the opening is located.

One of the objects of this invention therefore f is tov provide an effective method for testing` the well in order to locate such faults. f v

Another object is toprovide means whereby the well may be tested at various depths in a single run without withdraw-ing the device -between tests. f Another object is to provide testing apparatus which may be operated in a simple mannerand by means already at hand at the well.

Anotherv object is to provideA such a testing*- device which may be moved from point to point l in the well and finally be withdrawn without being entirely destroyed so that it may be used again. v

Further objects will appear from the following description taken. in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a. sectional view of a weil showing the manner of use of a testing device embodying this invention, .and

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the testing device.

It will be understood of course that the device is shown broken in Figure 2, the left-hand porp tion being the upper portion and the right handl the lower portion.

Referring to the drawing I designates the well which is to be tested. This gure shows the device as used with rotary drilling` equipment. It will'be understood, however, that it may be used with other types of drilling apparatus.- Inf Figure l drilling mechanism is shown at the head of the well, which mechanism may be of any well known type and which may provide a rotary table 2. In the embodiment illustrated the test.-

ing device, indicated generally at 3, is connected at the lower end of a drill stem 4', connected by the Well known Kelly joint 5 to a swivel head 3 connected by. meansof a. flexible hose 'I to a mud pump 8. The head 6` may be suspended in any usual manner from the hoisting dead line 9. Referring now to- Figure 2 the testing device comprises an upper casing section. I 0 and a lower 5 section II.' between' which sections there is arranged an expansible packer comprising a flexible rubber or fabric tube I2 and a plurality of expanding leaf springs I3. I

Arranged to slide in guides I4 and I5. the 10 former secured in the upper casing section I0 and the latter similarly secured in the lower section II, there is a plunger or ram I6. Secured to the upper endofthe plunger I6 is a-piston or ram table II. The lowerend oi'1 Vthe plunger I6 is providedvwith a head I8, to

which arepivoted atv I9 a pluralityof dogs-'20 Vextending through suitable slots-2l in the casing section II. The lower walls-of these slots may' be provided with cam surfaces 22, adapted to 20 `expand the dogs when the head I8 is moved Y downwardly. A strong spring 23 vbearing at itsv y lower end upon the guide I4 and at its upper end upon.v the under surface of the piston I1, tends tov retain the plunger I6 in its uppermost posi- 25 tion as illustrated in Figure 2. Just above :the piston Il the casing Ill is per-` forated to provide a plurality of exitl ports 24. 1

Each of these ports is closed by a valve 25, held place by a spring 25 secured to outer wallsof -30 shear 'pins 29. The plug 28 covers the ports 2l 40 so as to close the latter so long as the plug remains in place. .The plug2l is provided with a central passage 30 so that uid may pass therethrough. 1

Fixed in the casing I0 just above the plug 28 is 1.15v

a funnel-shaped guide 3l, the purpose of which Y will be explained later. The usual screw thread 32 may be providedat the upper end of the section IIIl in order to provide .for connecting it to the stem 4.v

In testing a well by means of this device, the latter is coupled to the lower end of atube or stem 4 and'lowered into the well to the depth' at which a test is desired. When theproper depth-- 'has` been reached, the mud pump 8 is started 5I? slowly so as to pump fluid gently down the tube l and into the casing l via the passage 30. This fluid rests upon the piston i1, and by careful operation of the pump 8 a sufficient pressure is established to force the piston i1 downwardly in the casing in against the pressure of the spring 23. This moves the plunger i6 downwardly and thereby forces the dogs 20 outwardly against the sides of the well. By this operation therefore the lower section il is securely anchored in the well by means of the dogs 20. When such anchorage has been established the entire stem 4 is lowered by means of hoisting 'line 8. This moves the casing section l0 downwardly with respect to the section Il and thereby expands the packer tube I2 into engagement with the sides of the well so as to plug the well. During this lowering operation it is desirable to have a sensitive weightindicator 33 in the line 9 so that the degree of pressure placed upon the packer may be known.

The well is now plugged at the desired depth. The fluid pressure in the casing i0 ls now increased to such a value as to overcome the pressure of the springs 26 and. open the ports 24.

When these ports are opened the fluid passesv out of the casing I0 to the well above the point plugged by the packer I2. The pump I may now be operated so as to subject the well to any desired tluid pressure.v By noting the indication of a pressure gage 34 on the pump 8 the operator may determine whether or not uid is being lost in the well. If no uid is lost at this depth, the device may be shifted to another depth and the test repeated. In order to shift the device the section l0 is raised by means oi the hoisting line. This draws in the dogs 20 so as to release them from engagement with the walls of the well. At the same time the packer tube l2 is collapsed.

The .pump 8 is now stopped and the pressure.

in the casing iii returned to a value such as to permit the spring 23 to raise the plunger i6 to its normal position. The device is now in its original condition and may be lowered or raised to any new depth and the above outlined procedure again carried out to obtain another test at the new location. In this manner the testing device may be shifted successively tol any numher of depths until that one is yfound at which a loss of uid is indicated by the gage 35. In this way the fault at which the loss of iluid occurs may be located with accuracy so that suitable cementing operations may be carried out.

After the entire series of tests has been completed the device may be withdrawn from the well. It is desirable however to drain the tube 4 of duid as it is raised. In order to accomplish this purpose, a ball 35 is pumped downward through tube 4. When this ball reaches the funnel guide 3i it is guided thereby so as to drop into a seat in the plug 28 at the upper end of the passage 30. passage 30. The pump 8 is now operated to establish suflicient pressure in the casing i0 to shear oi the pins 29 and force the plug 28 downwardly in the casing so as to uncover the ports 21. The uid may now drain out of the tube through these ports as the tube is withdrawn from the well.

drilling of the well. In a rotary drilling installation the regular drill stem may be used. In

'I'he ball 35 thus seated closes thel other types of installations any suitable tube may be used to lower the device into the well.

such tube being equipped at its upper end with may be liable to damage is the packer tube I2, y

and it may of course be replaced.

While this invention has beeny described as embodied in s. unitary device, it will be understood that individual features and sub-combina.- tions may be useful by themselves without reference to other features or the complete combination, and that the employment' of such individual features or sub-combinations is contemplated by this invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

It is further obvious that various changes may be made, within the scope of lthe appended claims, in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of this inventiom' it is, understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown or described. Having described the invention what is claimed is:

1. The method of testing the bore hole of a well, comprising, lowering into the well at the end of a string of tubing aA releasable packer, expanding the packer against the walls of the bore hole at a predetermined depth to plug the weil at that depth, applying fluid pressure to the plugged well above the packer, indicating the applied pressure in order to detect a loss of packer and the top of the well, indicating the applied pressure in order to detect a loss of fluid, removing the applied pressure, releasing the packer, removing the same to another depth, and again applying and indicating fluid pressure in order to detect a loss of fluid.

3. Means for testing wells, comprising, a. pipe extending into the Well, means at the lower end of said pipe expandable into pressure engagement with the f,walls of the bore hole for plugging the well. means for pumping fluid into said pipe, valve means associated withsaid plugging means adapted to admit the pumped fluid into the Well hole but to prevent its return to said pipe and means for indicating the iiuid pressure.

4..Means for testing wells, comprising, a pipe extending into the Well, means at the lower end of said pipe expandable into pressure engagement with the Walls of the bore hole to plug the well, said plugging means being releasable from the well and reengageable at different depths in the well, means for pumping fluid into said pipe, and means associated with said plugging means adapted to admit the pumped uid into the well.

5. A well-testing device, comprising, a casing adapted to be lowered into the well, means associated with said casing operable to plug the well, means operable by fluid pressure within said casing for supporting the device at any depth in the well, and means for admitting into the well fluid pumped into said casing, adapted to maintain su'icient iluid pressure in the casing to operate said supporting means.

.ins

6. A well-testing device, comprising, a casing adapted to be lowered into the well, means associated with said casing operable to plug the well, means for supporting the device at any depth in the well, means for admitting into the well iluid pumped into said casing, and means for draining the duid from said casing.

'7. A well-testing device, comprising, a easing adapted to be lowered into the well, means associated with said casing operable to plug the well, means for supporting the device at any depth in the well, means for admitting into the well uid pumped into said casing and means adapted for operation from the top of the well to drain the uid from said casing.

8. An implement for testing wells. comprising, a hollow stern, a casing supported at the lower end of said stem, an expandable packer on said casing, means associated with said casing operable to anchor said packer in the well, constructed and arranged to expand the anchored packer by manipulation of said casing in order to plug the well, and means for supplying fluid pressure to the plugged well.

9. An implement for testing wells, comprising. a hollow stem, a casing supported at the lower end of said stem, an expandable packer on said casing, means associated with said casing'operable by fluid pressure therein to anchor said packer in the well, constructed and arranged to expand the authored packer by manipulation of said casing in order to plug the well, and means for supplying fluid pressure to the plugged well.

l0. An implement for testing wells, comprising, a hollow stem, a casing supported at the lower end of said stem, and expandable packer on said casing, and anchoring means associated with said casing yieldingly maintained in inactive position but operable by fluid pressure in said casing to active position to anchor said packer in the well, said casing being mounted for manipulation to expand the anchored packer in order to plug the ALBERT C. FRITSCHE. 

